Career and Education Opportunities for Family Practice Physicians in Durham, North Carolina

There are many career and education opportunities for family practice physicians in the Durham, North Carolina area. Family practice physicians generally diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries that commonly occur in the general population.

Income for family practice physicians is about over $80 hourly or over $166,400 annually on average in North Carolina. Nationally, their income is about $75 hourly or $157,250 per year. Incomes for family practice physicians are better than in the overall category of General Medical in North Carolina, and better than the overall General Medical category nationally. People working as family practice physicians can fill a number of jobs, such as: police surgeon, family medicine physician, and board certified family physician.

There are twenty-six schools of higher education in the Durham area, including two within twenty-five miles of Durham where you can get a degree to start your career as a family practice physician. The most common level of education for family practice physicians is a Doctoral degree. You can expect to spend four or five years studying to be a family practice physician if you already have a Bachelor's degree, or eight to ten years if you have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Family Practice Physician

Family Practice Physician video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

In general, family practice physicians diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries that commonly occur in the general population.

Family practice physicians monitor patients' conditions and progress and reevaluate treatments as needed. They also collect and maintain patient data, such as medical history and examination results. Equally important, family practice physicians have to advise patients and community members concerning diet and disease prevention. They are often called upon to prescribe or administer treatment, therapy and other specialized medical care to treat or avoid illness, disease, or injury. They are expected to order and interpret tests and analyze records, reports, and examination data to diagnose patients' condition. Finally, family practice physicians work with nurses and other health care providers.

Every day, family practice physicians are expected to be able to evaluate problems as they arise. They need to piece together evidence to, in some sense, diagnose what is going on in a situation. It is also important that they listen to and understand others in meetings.

It is important for family practice physicians to direct and schedule efforts of nurses and other medical staff. They are often called upon to explain procedures and consider test results or prescribed treatments with patients. They also ready summaries for government or management of birth and disease statistics, workforce evaluations, or medical status of individuals. They are sometimes expected to formulate or administer health programs or standards in hospitals or communities for prevention or treatment of injury or illness. Somewhat less frequently, family practice physicians are also expected to advise patients and community members concerning diet and disease prevention.

They also have to be able to refer patients to medical specialists or other practitioners when needed and deliver babies. And finally, they sometimes have to work with nurses and other health care providers.

Like many other jobs, family practice physicians must have a strong concern for others and be thorough and dependable.

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EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Family Practice Physician Training

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Chapel Hill, NC

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 103 South Bldg Cb 9100, Chapel Hill, NC 27599. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 28,567 students and an admission rate of 35%. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has a professional degree program in Medicine which graduated 165 students in 2008.

Duke University - Durham, NC

Duke University, 103 Allen Bldg, Durham, NC 27708. Duke University is a large university located in Durham, North Carolina. It is a private not-for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 13,871 students and an admission rate of 23%. Duke University has a professional degree program in Medicine which graduated eighty-nine students in 2008.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Durham, North Carolina

Durham, North Carolina photo by Specious

Durham is situated in Durham County, North Carolina. It has a population of over 223,284, which has grown by 19.4% over the last ten years. The cost of living index in Durham, 86, is well below the national average. New single-family homes in Durham are valued at $187,200 on average, which is well above the state average. In 2008, 1,082 new homes were built in Durham, down from 1,574 the previous year.

The three most popular industries for women in Durham are health care, educational services, and professional, scientific, and technical services. For men, it is construction, educational services, and health care. The average commute to work is about 21 minutes. More than 41.8% of Durham residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 18.3%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Durham is 7.3%, which is less than North Carolina's average of 10.6%.

The percentage of Durham residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 39.3%, is less than both the national and state average. Laymans Church, Holy Infant Church and Homestead Heights Church are among the churches located in Durham. The most prominent religious groups are the Southern Baptist Convention, the United Methodist Church and the Catholic Church.

Durham is home to the Hope Valley Country Club and the Union Building as well as Durham County Stadium and Northgate Park. Shopping centers in the area include South Square Mall, Lakewood Shopping Center and Kings Plaza Shopping Center. Visitors to Durham can choose from Brownestone Inn, Durham-Days Inn ) and Hilton Durham for temporary stays in the area.